11.A member shall not place himself or herself in a position where the member’s personal interest is or may be in conflict with an obligation to an employer or client, or others, without full disclosure of such interests to all involved.

12.A member shall not accept fees, commissions, gifts, or any other consideration from anyone except clients or employers for whom services are performed without their express consent, given after full disclosure of the facts.

13.A member shall scrupulously safeguard the confidences and privacy rights of present, former, and prospective clients or employers.

14.A member shall not intentionally damage the professional reputation or practice of another practitioner.

15.If a member has evidence that another member has been guilty of unethical, illegal, or unfair practices, including those in violation of this Code, the member is obliged to present the information promptly to the proper authorities of the Society for action in accordance with the procedure set forth in Article XII of the Bylaws.

16.A member called as a witness in a proceeding for enforcement of this Code is obligated to appear, unless excused for sufficient reason by the judicial panel.

17.A member shall, as soon as possible, sever relations with any organization or individual if such

relationship requires conduct contrary to the articles of this Code.

(Wilcox, Dennis L., et al. Essentials of Public Relations. New York: Longman., 2001. P. 52)

How would you respond to the following situations?

1.The company president asks you to write a news release claiming that a new product is four times better than the competition and that it represents a “revolutionary” breakthrough in technology.

2.You’re a student intern at a public relations firm. One of your assignments is to call corporations and say you’re a student doing a class project. You would like to know what kinds of outside public relations services would be most helpful to the company.

3.An American company wants to increase its visibility and market share in Eastern Europe. As director of public relations, you invite a group of German business editors to visit the firm’s headquarters with all expenses paid.

4.Your company, in order to improve the quality and media acceptance of news releases, hires the local daily’s business editor on a retainer fee for periodic advice and counsel.

5.Your company, as part of its Christmas tradition gives journalists who regularly cover it an expensive gift. Last year, it was a weekend at a local resort.

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